Restoration
by Shreedin
Summary: They were always searching for Sasuke, and failing. But this time, Sasuke came to them. And after years of training, Sakura was ready. Sakura-centric, slight AU, SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1: Assignment

**Hey everyone, thanks for clicking on this story! Before anything, I just want to let you know that the circumstances for this story are different, to put it in other words, this story takes place in an AU (alternate universe) where ****the Fourth Shinobi World War is NOT happening. ****Also, Madara and Akatsuki are not immediate threats to Konoha. **

**Besides those two points, everything else is the same. Yes, Sasuke **_**did**_** leave Konoha, and **_**did**_** kill Itachi. He's killed Danzo too, but let's pretend he didn't do it by invading the Kage Summit (if there's no world war, then they wouldn't need to hold the summit, now would they? =]) So this story branches off from the Kage Summit arc, where everything before that arc happened, but everything that happens after is different. **

**If there are any questions, please feel free to PM me, or put it in a review! =] **

**I don't own ****Naruto****.**

**Please enjoy **_**Restoration**_**! =]**

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 1: Assignment**

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><p>Pink hair was unusual in the Leaf Village, so it wasn't unexpected that wherever the sole pinkette walked, heads turned. After the surprise passed, recognition settled into the villagers' minds and they greeted the familiar face. "Ohayo, Sakura-san!"<p>

"Ohayo!" she would call back with a wave. Haruno Sakura had grown to be loved by the whole village; her amiable personality and terrific medical expertise made hers a familiar name all over Konoha, and not just at the hospital where she volunteered in her spare time. Villagers knew Sakura as a kind young woman, and took her under their wing, subconsciously pledging to keep her happy and safe. If Sakura frowned, all of Konoha did. If she laughed, the whole village erupted into joyous cheers.

This bond formed between Sakura and Konoha's civilians was most likely based on the fact that she had probably treated at least one person from every family that resided there. Accidents happened all the time, even to the strict village-dwellers that would never go past the walls of Konoha. People fell off ladders, children tripped on the playground, the elderly contracted colds. And they could count on her to be there to mend them with one of her bright smiles.

Whenever Sakura would go on missions, fulfilling her duty as a member of Team Kakashi, the city waited. They waited for her to come back, and when she did, she was greeted in the most celebratory way. People offered her food baskets, handed her homemade travel packs to bring with her on her next mission; they gave her their love. And she was thankful.

Today was an unusually uneventful day for Sakura. She wasn't on a mission, nor was she needed in the hospital. No ANBU teams had been recently deployed, which meant that there were none to return, bloody and broken, requiring her attention and skill as a medic-nin trained by the great Godaime Hokage herself.

Tsunade was like Sakura's second mother. She taught her everything she needed to know about her most useful ability: medical-ninjutsu. Not only that, but Tsunade-sama had also become Sakura's mentor in life. Whenever she didn't know how to proceed, she turned to the Hokage for advice. The old blonde would melt and sit more comfortably in the presence of the Haruno daughter. Gone was her stiff and strict mentality when she was alone with Sakura, just speaking with her student. To Sakura, Tsunade wasn't the Hokage so much as she was her friend. Sometimes she would forget that she was talking to one of the most powerful faces in the ninja world when she sat with the wise woman in her office in Hokage Tower. It was only when they'd go for walks around the village, talking about new advances in the medical field, when Sakura would remember that she was with the _Hokage_ from the polite and humble greetings villagers would send their way as they walked passed the variety of storefronts and food stands.

Sakura passed one of these food stands now: the dango shop that she would sometimes stop by and eat at. But when she had set out that morning, she wasn't looking for food. Sakura just wanted to take a leisurely stroll around Konoha, the village she grew up in, the village that loved her and she loved back.

Following the road, she was lead to an open field of white flowers where she and Ino would play in during the days before The Academy. Sakura smiled at the memory of Ino standing up for her when she was being made fun of for her large forehead. _That was so long ago_, she thought. Taking the next right turn, Sakura stopped before a familiar building.

The Ninja Academy stood before her, and she couldn't help but consider that the building had shrunk somehow. It had used to be so big, so imposing. It had been a while since Sakura had last come back to visit it, and had been a year since she'd gone inside. The last time she laid her green eyes on the small training ground – that too, had seemed a lot bigger as a child – was when she had been invited to give a short lesson to young medical-nins in training as a doctor at the hospital.

The pinkette smiled at the memories of her first days as part of Team 7. Their first mission, the bell test, and how they'd been the first students Kakashi-sensei had passed. _I have to stop that_, Sakura thought to herself. She'd been accustomed to called the silver-haired man sensei, even though they were comrades now. _Oh well, old habits die hard._ Indeed, they did. Hatake Kakashi was still known as the picture of aloofness, _Icha Icha_ book in hand. Despite having read those books from cover to cover fifty times each, Kakashi would probably never get tired of their adult content. Sakura would never be able to understand him, but she loved him nonetheless.

She loved her old sensei, now _teammate_ – the fact was still hard for her to believe – the same way she loved Naruto. As friends, brothers, and comrades. They were there to protect her, and she was there to care for them. Although sometimes they made it difficult for her, it was her duty as their 'sister' to stick by them. The three were their own family, and she wouldn't have it any different.

Now passing the familiar building that was Konoha's prestigious hospital, Sakura's mind went back to the days where she learned medical-ninjutsu under Tsunade-sama. After two years of training and even more of field experience, Sakura had become the second-best medic in the village, below Tsunade, of course. She'd even surpassed Shizune's skill, despite the fact that the older woman was more familiar with poisons than Sakura was. The only thing that Shizune lacked that Sakura had was the experience that she'd gained from her time as the medic on Team Kakashi. And for that reason, Sakura was second-greatest.

Remembering the seemingly harsh and extensive training Tsunade had put her through made her grimace, yet she was still grateful. If not for the Hokage's over-the-top exercise regimen, Sakura would still be weak and of no help to her team. In two years she'd toughened up, become more durable, and was able to handle herself in a battle. This was proved by the fight that happened two years ago when she was sixteen, the fight against Sasori of the Red Sand. He'd been an S-class missing-nin and with the help of Chiyo-sama, she'd been able to defeat him. That was her first battle she'd handled without her team, and the battle that proved her success and improvement as a kunoichi.

Sakura was approaching a gate that lead out of the village now, and an air of tranquility passed over her as she spotted a certain stone bench. Slowly she walked over and took a seat on the cold, hard stone, stroking her fingers lightly over the rough surface.

For weeks after Uchiha Sasuke left Konoha, Sakura would come here, lay her head on the heavy stone, and cry. She'd cry until her eyes wouldn't produce anymore tears and would walk home alone, hiccupping and wiping her eyes until she would look presentable enough to return to her parents, who were completely oblivious.

But that was five years ago. Sakura, along with the rest of the Konoha 11, was now eighteen years old. She was no longer the young girl who cried at every little thing. Now she accepted that Sasuke was gone, off to complete some fate he'd created for himself that would lead him so deep into darkness that there would be no hope left. Which is why Sakura had taken it upon herself to aid Naruto in saving him from that darkness.

She'd had that goal two years ago, having accepted Sasuke's fate when she was sixteen. But her resolve was shaky then. Although she told herself over and over that she needed to let him go, she still had not been able to bring herself to take the opportunity and end Sasuke's life. That day she'd seen the worst of Sasuke. He'd been deranged and so overcome with evil… It was like his bloodlust was incurable. She knew she had to save him, but then her mind flashed back to the Sasuke she used to know, and the picture of that Sasuke masked the sight in front of her and she was unable to bring herself to take his life.

Sakura had come home from that mission utterly disappointed in herself. She had the opening, the weapon, the timing, but she lacked the willpower. A vow was made to herself that the next time she encountered Sasuke, she would be prepared.

She took up training immediately. Sakura sought training under Neji and Shikamaru to improve her taijutsu. Those days were spent in the Chuunin training grounds. Neji would teach Sakura new techniques, ways of moving that would be most effective in certain situations, such as the correct thing to do when caught in a headlock or how to disarm a captor if she had her hands tied behind her back. During breaks in their training, Shikamaru would sit with her in the shade of the trees and teach her strategy. He taught her how to deliver unexpected blows and counterattacks that would work against grown men. Shikamaru seemed to enjoy teaching her. He particularly liked that a girl like Sakura would instantly be underestimated in the battle field, and the Nara son taught her how to use that to her advantage. Sakura's fighting style would need to incorporate brute stregth with some cunning tactics mixed in.

After four months of this, Sakura finally beat Neji in one of their spars. It was the first time she had been able to pin the Hyuuga to the ground, and she had leapt up, pumping her fist in the air before she lent a hand down to help her training partner up from the dust. Satisfied that if she could beat Neji, she decided that she was all right in the taijutsu department.

Not wanting to be selfish, Sakura offered to teach Neji and Shikamaru a little something too. Although Shikamaru had refused her lessons, saying that his help in her training was beneficial to him too for some odd reason that she didn't understand, Neji was all ears.

She taught him her specialty: medial-ninjutsu. Neji was great at chakra control, so it wasn't that hard to teach him the Mystical Palm technique. He could already focus chakra into his hands, which was half of the technique, and all Sakura had to do was teach him how to draw the healing nature of his chakra out and into an injury. Soon enough he got a hang of it and the chakra in his hands successfully faded from a cerulean blue into a jade green.

The next skill Sakura wished to acquire was that in the genjutsu department. Deciding that training with Kakashi would only succeed in him using his Sharingan until he collapsed would be unbeneficial, Sakura turned to another sensei.

Kurenai-sensei agreed to train Sakura in genjutsu in return for the babysitting of her, then, one-year-old child. She taught her how to detect and break a genjutsu using just her mind and by the end of the month Sakura was deflecting Kurenai-sensei's genjutsus within a few seconds. Kurenai knew that although these techniques wouldn't work against a strong dojustsu like Tsukuyomi of the Mangekyo Sharingan, they would work on any other genjutsu a shinobi could cast.

The next lesson Kurenai taught Sakura was casting her own genjutsus. The younger woman had trouble with grasping the concept of creating a genjutsu, but fortunately the genjutsu she _was_ able to cast was probably the most effective one. After a plethora of hand seals and the calming of her own chakra flow, Sakura was now able to cast a genjutsu that sent the victim into a world of darkness. Their brain shut down and the person became unable to process any thought or perform any action. It was a very useful genjutsu indeed.

Now that her taijutsu had been significantly sharpened and she was technically immune to most genjutsus, Sakura was convinced that she was ready. Ready to take on any kind of shinobi, and most of all, ready to take on Sasuke when the time came. He was going to be in one hell of a surprise, for Sakura wasn't the little girl she used to be. She was a strong-willed woman who could make decisions for herself. No longer would she cry or hesitate; if something needed to be done for the sake of the greater good, it would happen. She was not weak.

Suddenly someone called her name, pulling her out of her reverie. "Sakura-chan!" She looked up from her spot on the bench, surprised to see her teammates walking towards her.

"Naruto! Kaka-sensei! Sai!" A smile came onto her face at the sight of her family, plus Sai. Although they'd worked together for some time now, the ANBU Root member was still an enigma to her. She knew he had never experienced social interaction before, but barely anything had changed in two years. He was still stiff and pulling friendly lines straight from self-help books in the library. But everyone was used to it, and accepted Sai as a friend.

"Sakura-chan, there you are! We've been looking all over for you!" Naruto put hand hands behind his head and laughed. "What are you doing out here?"

After all of these years, Sakura still hadn't told them about her encounter with Sasuke before he left the village. It was something she kept to herself. The moment was so intimate and special that she wouldn't let herself tell anyone else, not even Naruto. "Oh, I was just sitting around. I was taking a walk and wanted to sit for a bit. Why were you looking for me?"

"We've got a mission! Tsunade-baa-chan wants to see us all in her office. I heard that this might be S-class!" he said happily.

Sakura got up from her place on the stone bench and fell into step beside Kakashi, who said to her, "It's not S-class."

She smiled up at her former sensei. "I didn't think so. He's probably just excited. This is our first mission in a few weeks, after all." His visible eye creased in a smile.

Up ahead she could see the front of the Yamanaka flower shop, and waved to Ino as they walked past. The two young women smiled at each other. Sakura and Ino let their rivalry go long ago and decided to keep each other's friendship. Sasuke leaving had been a tragic experience, and instead of fighting, they made up. Even thinking back to it, the reason why they'd first broken up their friendship was petty. Now that they were older, more mature, and reasonable, the two were good friends.

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><p>Sakura was comfortable in Tsunade's office, a room she'd been in countless times before. The same couldn't be said for the rest of her team though, since Naruto wasn't on the same level she was in terms of friendliness with the Hokage, Kakashi was always respectful, and Sai was comfortable with being stiff. They stood before the pigtailed woman, waiting to hear the details of the mission.<p>

"Team Kakashi." She called out.

"Hai." They answered dutifully.

"This mission I'm about to present to you will probably be one of the most important missions you will ever receive. It's A-rank. Are you willing to hear the details?" She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her desk, clasping her hands together as she eyed them over her laced fingers.

"Hai."

"Medics in Sunagakure have discovered a new poison that the ninja world has never seen before. They've collected samples of this poison, and I've sent a request to obtain some of it so that I may study it and develop an antidote. But they're very protective of their discovery, and only agreed to hand it to trusted people. They wanted me to go and pick it up myself, but my duties here are too great for me to up and leave just so that I could go and get it from them. So, Sakura, you will be going in my place. You'll be representing me on this mission."

"Hai."

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sai, you three will accompany Sakura on this journey. Those medical ninja are very paranoid and told me that you will have to fight them for the samples, to prove that you will be able to protect the poison on its journey back to me."

"Is it a very deadly poison, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked curiously.

"According to them, it is. And if it were to fall into enemy hands before I was able to develop an antidote, that would be very bad. The Suna medics seem to realize that, which is why they're going to challenge you to a battle. They want to make sure they're giving their precious samples to people who will able to safely deliver it to me."

"Yeah! We get to fight Sand ninja!" Naruto cheered loudly. Sunagakure bad been long allied with Konoha ever since Gaara bad become Kazekage, so fights between Leaf ninja and Sand ninja were nonexistent.

"Just make sure you win. Having knowledge of this poison is crucial, which is why this is an A-rank mission. It's unknown whether or not the enemy knows about this poison and if they will try to intercept you on your journey back to obtain it, so stay alert. Don't let your guard down and keep the samples safe." Tsunade said strictly. _A deadly poison that's never been discovered before…_ The existence of such a poison intrigued the medical side of Sakura. This was going to be an interesting mission for her.

"Hai!" Team Kakashi chorused in unison.

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><p>The mission was to begin immediately. Kakashi and Sai had gone their separate ways to their own homes to pack and prepare for the journey to the Land of Wind. That left Sakura and Naruto to walk together to their neighboring apartments.<p>

When she'd turned eighteen she decided to move out of her parent's home and bought a new apartment next to Naruto's. It only made sense for them to live close to each other; they were teammates and living close to each other would make working together that much easier.

Sakura walked into her room and pulled her travelling sack out from under her bed, along with her bedroll. She stuffed sack with extra clothes and packets of dried food as well as survival items such as matches and water canteens. Next she stripped of her civilian clothes and put on her ninja gear. She'd long since abandoned her old red zippered shirt and pink skirt, replacing it with a short-sleeved mesh shirt underneath a fitted red top that was more practical for fighting. The top ended in the middle of her stomach, showing off a toned midriff that was covered by her mesh undershirt, and had the Haruno symbol stamped on the side, so it looked like the circle was wrapped around her left side.

Sakura had replaced her top when she found that the previous shirt was becoming strained across her chest from the growth that she had been waiting for all this time. She was no longer the little girl that she was before, not mentally and not physically either. Her breasts had grown, although not close to the sizeable bust that Tsunade had, but large enough to give her a feminine shape. She'd also grown her pink hair out again so that it was back down to her mid-back with the bangs kept back by her forehead protector, which she wore as a headband.

Sakura was slender, yet strong; feminine and beautiful even while delivering a bone-shattering punch.

She fastened her black skirt to her hips over her spandex shorts and pulled on her knee-high black boots. Now finished with the basics, she slid her pink elbow guards onto her arms and put her gloves on. As a final touch, she took out a roll of white bandages and wrapped it around her upper right thigh to support the femur. A training session gone wrong had almost snapped the bone. Although it was completely healed now, Sakura could still tell that that was her weak spot and liked to reinforce it with wraps.

After checking to make sure it was filled with ninja tools, she strapped her weapons holster to the waist of her skirt at the base of her back. Checking her appearance one last time in the mirror, she exited her apartment and locked the door.

"Ready to go?" Naruto was standing outside his door, waiting for her.

She smiled at her long time friend and teammate and readjusted her pack so it was more comfortable on her back. "Let's go."

They walked together to the front gates of Konoha, where Kakashi and Sai were already waiting. When they approached, Kakashi reached his hand out to ruffle Sakura's hair. "Did you remember your water this time?" His eye squinted in a smile.

She scowled playfully while running her fingers through her hair, detangling the long strands after Kakashi's teasing. "Yes." The memory of her having to share water with her former sensei and Naruto had been one she didn't want to remember. A few missions back, Sakura had forgotten to bring her own water canteen and had been forced to take sips from Kakashi's and Naruto's. They joked around about backwashing, making Sakura positively mortified. She'd never forgotten to bring her own water since.

The four walked through the gates of Konoha, off to another mission.

What they didn't know was how this mission would be so unlike the others.

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><p><strong>So there's the first chapter! I'm really excited to be writing this story, and I know it's going to be a long one :) <strong>

**Remember: if you have any questions, don't be shy! Send it in a PM or a review! I'd be glad to answer any questions you guys might have, if it makes reading this story easier.**

**Reviews make me write!**


	2. Chapter 2: Travelling

** Hey, I'm sorry for the delayed update! I usually don't take this long to post, but I've been extremely busy lately. **

** Without further ado, here's Chapter 2 of **_**Restoration!**_

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 2: Travelling**

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><p>The forest was a mere blur of earthy colors to the eyes of Team Kakashi as they leapt through the branches. At this speed, speaking to one another was out of the question, so Sakura liked to take spend her travelling time thinking. The smell of the forest around her put her in a tranquil state, even while propelling herself through the air from branch to branch.<p>

Over the woosh of the wind rushing past her ears, Sakura was able to make out the sound of a bird. Smiling, she closed her eyes, using the sound of her teammates' footfalls to determine where to land next. Her mind drifted off to the mission they were on.

They were retrieving samples a mysterious poison that Suna medics had discovered. Apparently they weren't just any Suna medics, they were a special research team that worked apart from the village itself, although their research center was located within Sunagakure. Therefore they'd want to battle her and her team before they handed it over. It was an idea with good intentions, after all, they wouldn't want to accidentally hand it over to the enemy, but Sakura couldn't help but wish that they had decided on something less troublesome.

_I'm turning into Shikamaru now_, she thought with an inward grin. All those days spent training with the Nara genius had inevitably caused some of him to rub off on her.

Lost in thought, Sakura didn't realize when her teammates dropped to the forest floor below and her eyes snapped open at the absence of sound. Having lost their footfalls as guides, she was now zooming twenty feet down to the ground. In a split-second reaction, her hands shot up and she grabbed hold of a heavy branch above her and she sung halfway around it, eventually planting both her feet on top. Heart pumping, she stood still, eyes searching for her teammates.

"Yo, Sakura-chan! We're over here!" Naruto's voice called. Sakura hopped down from the tree and jogged about 100 feet back to where the rest of Team Kakashi had stopped.

As she approached, Kakashi patiently asked, "What happened? Did you miss my signal?"

"I had my eyes closed, I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei." she replied with a sheepish smile.

Kakashi smiled, hands in his pockets. "It's getting dark now, so I thought we would set up camp along this river. We're right on the border of the forest and the desert, and I figured everyone would rather spend the night here than there."

"Hai." They put their packs down on the grass. Sakura began stretching her leg muscles from the dash.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, Sai, do you guys want to spar?" Naruto asked, halfway through his own hamstring stretch.

"Sure. What kind of spar do you want to do?" Sakura asked.

"How about taijutsu and ninjutsu only? None of that freaky genjutsu stuff you can do." Naruto pretended to shudder.

Sai smiled. "That's fine with me."

"Okay then! Kaka-sensei, do you want to join us?" Sakura turned to the silver-haired man.

"No thank you. I'll set up camp. Why don't you guys spar over there? There's much more space." Kakshi replied, pointing towards a nearby field. The teens nodded and walked over to the designated area.

The grass here was tall and dry and came up to about Sakura's bellybutton. It was a good thing none of them could perform fire jutsu, otherwise they might end up face-to-face with a huge wildfire. Standing in a triangle, the three took their positions and the fight began.

Deciding to take the offensive, Sakura launched herself at Naruto and was pleased to find one of Sai's ink clones alongside her. "Hey! That's not fair! You guys are teaming up on me!" Naruto shouted, laughing as he dodged a punch.

"That's a three-way spar for you, Naruto." Sai called calmly from behind. Sakura glanced back at the dark haired boy and saw him standing untouched, paintbrush and blank scroll in hand. He was letting his clone do all the fighting! Sakura turned her head back to Naruto and aimed a kick at his head. As the blond dodged it, they made eye contact and he slightly nodded.

Grabbing the foot that Sakura sent to kick his chest, Naruto created a platform using both his hands and pushed Sakura away from him, towards Sai. She twisted her body and shouted, "Cha!" while pulling her arm back. Sai's eyes widened and he ducked, the simplest form of avoiding an attack. Sakura flew right over his head and rolled in the grass to stop her fall. Once reoriented, she turned back to the fight and saw the air gather around one of Naruto's Rasengans, which was aimed at one of two ink lions Sai had created. He destroyed one of them, and with a chakra-enhanced punch, Sakura destroyed the other, sending ink spraying all over her body.

"Hey!" Sakura looked down at herself with an astonished gasp.

"Get over it Sakura-chan, you're such a girl!" Naruto laughed, him and Sai charging at her. Playfully enraged, she focused chakra into her heel and brought it down on the ground, _hard._ The earth beneath their feet cracked and seemed to shatter, creating a rift in the dirt that Naruto and Sai had to jump away from to prevent falling into.

That bought her some time. Sakura reached to her weapons pouch and pulled out some kunai, making sure not to use the poison-tipped ones. From the corner of her eye she saw Sai advancing on her and she threw a couple at him. He jumped up in the air and the kunai planted themselves into the ground. Sensing Naruto charging at her from the other side, Sakura realized she was stuck. They were both coming at her from opposite sides and had her trapped.

Sakura did the only thing she had left to do, which was jump back and hope that they wouldn't hit her too hard. She leapt back a few feet and, as if in slow motion, witnessed Sai and Naruto collide with "Oomph!"s. Her eyes went wide when she realized her feeble attempt at dodging their simultaneous attacks had actually worked out! Taking the only chance she'd been given to take them both out in one move, she hastily pulled out two rigged shuriken and threw them around her partners, using the threads connected to them to tie the boys together. Sakura had won the spar, and fell to the ground laughing, tears almost pouring from her eyes.

"SAI! YOU IDIOT! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP! YOU'RE SO ABSENT ALL THE TIME!" Naruto yelled, struggling to get out of the threads.

"Naruto, you're the one who was absent. You didn't even notice that Sakura-chan had moved out of the way!" Sai replied. Sakura didn't catch the rest of their row because she was doubled over in laughter.

This went on for about five minutes until a deep voice said, "Good job, Sakura. But I have to ask, didn't you guys even put up a fight?"

Sakura looked up at her former sensei, wiping her eyes and calming herself down. "Hi, Kaka-sensei." she said as the boys argued over whose fault it was that they'd gotten stuck together. Deciding to put them out of their misery, Sakura plucked her kunais from the ground and put them away, but keeping one to cut the threads. Released, the guys' shouting reduced to grumbling and they all walked back to camp.

"I've still got all this ink on me…" Sakura mumbled as she tried to wipe some off of her skirt. The action only succeeded in smearing it into the fabric, making the stain worse.

Sai smiled one of his self-help-book-smiles. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

"It's okay, Sai. How did you keep the ink off of _you, _Naruto?" She looked curiously at her blond friend and teammate.

He put his hands behind his head in his typical nonchalant stance. "The Rasengan blows all the ink away from me."

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Well I guess I'll be by the creek, washing this stuff out."

"I'll come with you!" Naruto declared. She smiled at him and they walked to the riverbank. Naruto sat down in the grass beside the water and Sakura took her ink-stained shirt off, leaving on her mesh shirt and bandeau-like bra on underneath. The mesh actually showed a lot of skin, but she wasn't shy around Naruto, and apparently he wasn't shy around her either since he took his jacket and shirt off, sitting there in just his orange and black pants. He lied back in the grass, looking up at the orange sky. The sun was just setting. Sakura dipped her shirt into the water and begin to scrub.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. I think we've been here before." Naruto said, poking her back. "I remember this river."

"Really?" Sakura looked up from her clothes washing at looked around, slightly squinting. Recognition crossed her face. "Oh yeah! Our last mission with Kiba and Ino, right?" Sakura smiled at the memory. They had been deployed on a simple C-class mission and on their way back to Konoha had decided to take a little 'break' that involved a bonfire, late night swimming, and laughter.

"That was a crazy night." Naruto laughed. Sakura stood up to hang her wet shirt on a nearby tree branch to dry. All the ink stains were out now.

She sighed in contentment and turned back to Naruto. He was also standing, and grinning at her. He took a step out onto the water, focusing a small amount of chakra at his feet to stand on top of the liquid. He motioned for Sakura to follow and together they walked out to the middle of the river, watching the water flow beneath them, totally undisturbed.

Standing on a river was always more exciting than standing on a lake. A ninja could watch the water rush underneath their feet. It was a peculiar sensation, and would sometimes make Sakura feel disoriented.

"I want to try something." Naruto declared, grinning. He slowly sat down on the water, then lied back. He closed his eyes and continued to smile. "Try it, it's fun!"

Hesitantly Sakura moved some chakra down her legs and bottom as she sat down. It was just like sitting down on the ground! Next she pushed the chakra to her back and head, successfully laying down beside Naruto. "See, it's easy!" he said.

They lay in silence for a little bit, watching the sky fade from orange to pink. It was getting colder, and Sakura shivered, wrapping her forearms around her stomach. Kind as always, Naruto took notice, reached for his discarded jacket and handed it to Sakura. They smiled at each other and lied back down, Sakura using the orange and black jacket as a blanket for her upper half. It smelled like Naruto, and she buried her nose into the collar. The smell of him made her feel cozy and safe and at home. He was always her rock, there when she needed him, or anyone for that matter.

She thought about the promise he made her five years ago. Naturally her mind drifted directly to Sasuke, and she decided to take a leap. "Do… Do you ever think about Sasuke-kun?" she asked quietly, hoping her words wouldn't disrupt anything.

"Of course." Naruto whispered back. It was the first time in a long time that she had heard him talk about Sasuke without aggression. "I haven't forgotten about my promise either."

"But he'd changed Naruto. He's not the same Sasuke as before. You remember, don't you?"

He turned to his side towards Sakura. Green and blue eyes connected. "I know how he looked that day, but trust me, Sakura, the old Sasuke is still there somewhere. He's just… preoccupied right now. I won't let my promise go. He'll come back to the village, no matter what." His resolve was so strong that Sakura had nothing to respond to.

They lied there, Naruto reaching his hand into the water to play with fish swimming under their bodies, Sakura looking at a tree just above Naruto's temple. A thud sounded at the edge of the river and the two teens lifted their heads, startled.

Kakashi held his hands up. "Calm down, it's just me." Relieved, the two stood up and walked over to their former sensei. "Come back to camp now." From behind his back he produced a blanket and handed it to Sakura, who accepted it and returned Naruto's jacket. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she grabbed her damp shirt and they walked through the bushes towards the fire that Sai was getting started.

The ink user blew gently on the sparking embers, urging the small flame to catch the logs. He was successful, and the four sat around the fire, snaking on packets of dried food. The sun had not set yet, so there was still light, but the team welcomed the heat from the flames.

"Great spar today, Naruto and Sakura." Sai spoke up. That reminded Sakura of the kunais she'd thrown, and she pulled her weapons pouch in front of her, opening the clasp.

"Yeah, it was fun! I forgot; I have to rewrap these." The pinkette extracted three certain kunai from her pouch and a roll of wraps. Thrusting them into the ground pointy end down, she began to undo the white fabric around the grips.

"Sakura, are those the poisoned ones?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No, these are normal kunai. I did bring poison though, just in case I ran out of the poison-prepared ones."

"Sakura, you should just dip all of them. Us three don't have any poison kunai, so you don't have to carry normal ones around." Kakashi suggested.

Sakura tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Actually, I think I'll tie exploding tags to these three. I could use some explosive power." She unwrapped the third kunai.

Naruto laughed. "Like your personality isn't explosive enough!" he joked. She shot him a glare.

"Watch it, baka!" The goofy look on Naruto's face prevented her from being mad much longer, and she melted into a smile, rolling her eyes.

Kakashi stood up. "Naruto, Sai, go get some more firewood. I'll start the first guard shift." They simultaneously jumped away, leaving Sakura alone, continuing the task of rewrapping her kunais.

Naruto had still not gotten over the promise he'd made. Getting Sasuke back to the village was still his ultimate goal. There probably wasn't anything in the world that could get him to abandon that goal. He'd known Sasuke himself, so it wasn't just Sakura who wanted him back home. Naruto wanted Sasuke in Konoha just as much as she did.

But what if he _did_ come back? Was he so changed that adjusting to normal life would be impossible? And say he _was _able to adjust. Would things be the same as they were before? There was no way to tell, and it might not even happen in the first place. How would Naruto feel later on in life if he was never able to fulfill his promise and his goal? Would—

Sakura's thoughts were pulled away by a rustle in a bush not far from their camp. Her head shot up and her fingers quickly tied the knot that would secure an exploding tag to one of her kunais.

Her eyes strained to see the source of the noise; perhaps it was an animal and she was just being paranoid. Suddenly she saw two red dots in the bush, blinking. Were those… eyes?

Without thinking and as quick as a flash, her fingers closed around her completed exploding kunai and with a flick of her wrist sent it flying straight to one of the red dots. She saw the kunai lodge itself into the ground, the tag ignite, and heard the explosion. When her eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light, Sakura watched the bushes and felled trees burn in a circle around the melting metal lump that was her kunai.

He view was blocked by a leg. That leg belonged to Kakashi, who stood protectively in front of her, having rushed over from his post when he heard the explosion. "What's wrong?" He asked severely. She looked up at him and saw him holding three shuriken between his fingers and his own kunai in his other hand. "Sakura, no one's there. There isn't a chakra signature." It was true. Sakura couldn't sense any chakra besides hers and Kakashi's (and faintly Naruto's and Sai's), meaning no one else but her team was in the vicinity within the last 12 hours. But she was so sure those were eyes!

He relaxed from his stance and put his weapons back into his pouch, turned around and squatted in front of his pink-haired teammate and looked her in the eyes. "What did you see?" Sakura noticed that he had his Sharingan uncovered. Looking into the red and black eye, she understood. _Those were Sharingan I saw in that bush._ But there wasn't anyone there, not even a chakra signature. Maybe she was going mad.

She shook her head and said, "Nothing. I heard some rustling. It was probably a rabbit or something." Kakashi eyed her doubtfully, recovering his Sharingan.

"What's going on!" Naruto shouted, him and Sai landing on the ground, arms cradling logs of firewood.

Not taking his eyes away from Sakura's face, Kakashi said, "Nothing. Sakura thought she heard something, but there's nothing there. Did you get the firewood?" His attempt to change the subject worked, and the boys dumped the logs into the fire. Kakashi proceeded to perform a water jutsu on the explosion site, putting out the fire before it got out of hand. The boys sat down and ate some more dried food.

Sakura shuddered. She was sure she'd seen Sharingan eyes in that bush, and Kakashi didn't believe her when she'd blown it off. He knew she'd seen something, but Sakura was grateful he wasn't the type to pry. If they weren't in danger, then whatever she saw – or _thought_ she saw – wasn't pertinent to their mission.

Looking over at Naruto, who was feasting on some dried oats and cranberries, she was glad he was so easily distracted. It would not have been good if he'd known she saw _Sharingan_ eyes near their camp. There was only one person they knew with two uncovered Sharingans, and the last thing they needed was the blond spending a sleepless night searching for their owner, especially if there wasn't even anyone there.

Just this once, she would keep something secret from Naruto.

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><p><strong> Again, forgive me for the wait, and thanks for reading! :]<strong>

** Review, review, review! Thanks :]**


	3. Chapter 3: Completion

**I'm expecting to have a lot more time to write this week, so prepare yourselves for more frequent updates! **

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 3: Arrival**

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><p>The front gates of Sunagakure loomed overhead, the only thing tall enough to block the sun within a five mile radius. It was early evening and the sun was just starting to set over the Land of Wind.<p>

Team Kakashi's second day of travelling had proven to be uneventful. They trudged their way through the sand and heat, not stopping. Many ninja from Konoha had made the long trek to the Sand Village, but no one would get used to the journey. The wind was harsh, the heat was almost unbearable, and the cloaks barely helped.

Sakura understood why they had to wear the heavy things; it would protect their skin from the sun's rays, although it did a terrific job at insulating their bodies, warming them up in the already sweltering heat.

But at least the journey was finally over. As if planned, the sandy winds died down when the four approached the adobe gate. Moving her sweaty hair out of her face, Sakura squinted at three figures standing not far before them. "Kaka-sensei, is that…?"

"Gaara!" Naruto shouted, running ahead of them. Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura eventually caught up, and the four stood before the Sand Siblings.

"Welcome back." Gaara said, a trace of a smile on his face, as he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Thank you." Kakashi answered for all of them. From Gaara's right side, Temari hoisted her large fan onto her shoulder, placing her other hand at her hip.

"Did the sand treat you too badly on the way here?" she asked, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Naruto groaned and tilted his head back. "It was _horrible, _as always! You guys need to do something about that. I mean, how can you even _live_ here?"

"Hey, we grew up here. We got used to it real fast." Kankuro said from Gaara's other side, pointing his finger at the blond. Naruto sighed.

"Well, you guys should come in," Temari said, "We'll put you up in an inn. Take a shower, get comfy." She led them into the village. The group ended up splitting into two on the way to the inn: Sakura, Sai, and Temari up front and Gaara, Kankuro, Kakashi, and Naruto in the back.

"So tell me, how's Shikamaru doing?" Temari asked wistfully, looking up into the darkening sky.

Sai smiled one of his trademark smiles. "You're asking about him because you like him, right? Sakura told me that-" Sakura clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Heh, shut up, Sai," she sang desperately into his ear. "Oh, sorry about that, he doesn't know what he's talking about!" she said to Temari, who merely shook her head.

The back group caught up now, and they were standing before the inn. It was a quaint little place, made of adobe (like all the other buildings in Sunagakure), and looked quite unassuming. There was limited greenery, just a few shrubs around the perimeter of the building, but even that was pretty good for any place in the Sand Villge to accomplish. Despite the somewhat mediocre exterior, Sakura knew, though, that the rooms inside were nicer than some of Konoha's own hotels.

Her thoughts were only confirmed when the Sand Siblings led them into a room specially reserved for travelling shinobi. It had a main conference area with a seating area and small kitchen, a bathroom, then off to the side were three rooms for sleeping in, separated by sliding doors made of bamboo. The window provided a view of the Kazekage's office building, where Gaara spent his days.

Sakura dropped her stuff into one of the bedrooms, knowing that Naruto and Sai were going to share one, while Kakashi took the third. That had almost always been their setup, and it was understood that that was how it was going to work this time around as well. After depositing her bag, travelling cloak, and bedroll into the room, she came back out to the seating area, where everyone else was standing.

"So I assume you know what business we have here?" Kakashi asked the Kazekage.

"Yeah, Tsunade-san sent me a scroll yesterday. We'll take you in to meet the medics tomorrow." Gaara answered, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms.

Kankuro sighed loudly from the windowsill. "I don't see why we call them medics. They don't do anything for anyone," he sniffed.

Sakura looked questioningly at him. "Why not?"

The face-tattooed boy turned his head towards her, meeting her gaze lazily. "They're more of a research team. They don't work in the hospital; they're not active shinobi; those guys are deadweight, doing some kind of 'research' that no one else knows about. This poison thing is the first advancement they've ever made. And they can't even figure out what it is! That's why you guys are here, I guess, to get a sample for the Hokage to look at, right?"

Naruto answered his question with a nod. "Yeah. Wow, so they probably won't pose much of a fight, huh?"

"A fight?" Temari asked, standing a little straighter.

"Tsunade-sama said that the researchers would want to fight us before they hand over the samples. They want to make sure that we can protect it on its way back to Konoha." Sai said.

Kankuro stretched, arms raised above his head. "They must be dumb too, if they're challenging you guys. They don't stand a chance! You'll take them out easily, just don't be too rough, okay?" He stood up and walked over to Temari and Gaara, who were already by the door. "By the way," he looked at Sai, "When I first saw you guys walk up, I thought you were Sasuke. You sure look a hell of a lot like the Uchiha."

Sakura's heart clenched, and she spoke, as if on instinct, "He's not coming back." She wanted to take the words back as soon as she spoke them. Oh, why did she have to ruin a perfectly light conversation? Now everyone was looking at her oddly. Gaara and Kankuro looked confused, Temari looked at her with pity, and Naruto and Kakashi looked a little shocked. Only Sai was devoid of emotion, which wasn't saying much. Sakura sat down at the nearest couch as the Sand Siblings left their inn room.

"Well it's getting late. I'm going to bed." Sakura said. After an exhausting day she felt like her legs could give in right at that moment. But most of all she wanted, _needed_, to get away from her teammates questioning eyes.

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><p>Sakura sat on the floor in front of the mirror, brushing her long hair when a light knock sounded at her door. "Come in," she said softly, after a pause. She had considered pretending to be asleep, but she figured that if it was Naruto, he'd come in anyway and she'd be found out.<p>

"Hey," the blond said quietly as he stepped into her room, shutting the door behind him. He was softly lit by the small lamp in the corner of the room, and was wearing his pajamas. His eyes seemed a clearer blue than usual, and he had a peculiar look on his face. Sakura put her brush down and stood up, facing Naruto. For the nth time she noticed how tall he'd become. She'd stopped growing at around 5'5'', but he'd continued to grow until he was 5'10''. The top of her forehead came up to about his chin, and her eyes to his chest.

She wondered how tall Sasuke was.

Immediately her arms wrapped around her torso and she let her hair fall in front of her face. Sakura didn't cry anymore, but whenever she thought about all the lost moments, all the times they'd never have with Sasuke, her reaction was almost instantaneous. She'd feel vulnerable and sad. It wasn't anything new to Naruto.

"Hey, shh, don't. What's wrong?" He walked over to her, unwrapping her arms from around her body and holding her hands in his. Naruto bent his knees so he could look her straight in the face. "Sakura, tell me."

She lifted her green eyes to meet his, giving him a little smile. "You're going to make me ramble."

He returned her smile with one of his. "I like it when you ramble!" Sakura walked over to the bed and sat down against the headboard, while Naruto sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, looking at her expectantly.

She tugged at the bottom of her sleeping shorts, unsure of where to start. Luckily Naruto did. "Why did you say Sasuke wasn't coming back?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry Naruto," she sounded defeated, even to her own ears. He reached a hand out and entwined their fingers comfortingly.

"Hey, don't be sorry. Just talk to me."

She sighed, then began, "We don't know where he is. We don't know what he's doing. It's been five years and two meetings and we weren't able to get him to come back all the other times, so why should I think we'd be able to get to him the next time we meet?"

Naruto smiled ruefully. "You don't think I can keep my promise?"

"No, it's not that… It's just… I mean, he looked… beyond. Like our Sasuke doesn't exist anymore." She lowered her eyes. He didn't speak until she looked back into his blue orbs, edged with intensity.

"Sakura, I saw into him that day. I know Sasuke's still in there, somewhere. He's just so overcome with other things that he can't see us. Trust me, Sakura, we'll get him back to the village. I made a promise, and I never break promises. You know that." He pulled her into a hug.

She whispered into his chest, "I never meant to doubt you."

He whispered into her hair, "I know. Just trust me."

Her barely audible breath, "I do."

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><p>A dripping senbon whizzed past Sakura's face. The poison hit the ground, sizzling. Her communications unit crackled to life in her ear. "Sakura, there's one at your 12 o'clock as soon as you look up," came Kakashi's voice. Taking a deep break, Sakura whipped out a handful of shuriken from her pouch and stood up, abandoning her cover behind the rock. Sure enough, right in front of her, was a sand clone. Without hesitation she threw the batch of weapons at the figure, and the man collapsed into sand.<p>

Just thirty minutes ago Gaara had led Team Kakashi to the research lab where the medics worked. Three men in lab coats had greeted them, accepting Sakura as Tsunade's representative. After the formalities were over, they challenged the Leaf shinobi to a brawl, just as promised.

To increase their numbers, and probably to protect themselves, the researchers had decided to use Sand Clones equipped with senbon dipped in poison. They were then led to an indoor arena-like place that consisted of a large room full of sand with large boulders, simulating the desert except without the heat.

The clone Sakura had just taken out was the first of the final four, leaving three left roaming somewhere in the arena. By her right she saw Kakashi take one out with a kunai, and through her comms unit could hear the roar of one of Sai's ink lions. "I got one!" Naruto's voice called. She didn't need any kind of equipment to hear _that_ shout. She smiled to herself. That was it, all the clones were gone and they could finally get on with their mission.

They all met at the door. "Congratulations. Please come this way and we'll give you the samples," one of the researchers said. They were led into a room that was lined with computers on every wall and smelled sterile. In the middle of the room sat a small glass-encased vial. The poison.

"That's all you were able to extract?" Sakura asked skeptically, examining a digital tablet that showed the details of the composition of the poison. She didn't recognize the patterns, and decided that this was, in fact, and original discovery. What she could tell though, was that this poison was lethal. There were components that could kill within a second, and combined they would kill even faster. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity. Tsunade-sama would like this.

"Yes, but we are working on simulating the chemistry and synthesize more of it. We've made four vials here for you to take back to the Hokage." In his outstretched palm were four seal test tubes with clear liquid inside. The shinobi each took one and placed it safely in their pouches.

"Thank you. Would you like us to send you details of what Tsunade-sama finds out about this, once she comes up with a conclusion?" Sakura asked the man.

His eyes widened. "Of course! We discovered it, we should have the right to know what it is."

Sakura nodded. "Okay then. We'll send a scroll once an examination has been completed." The team turned to leave the room. The mission was three-fourths of the way done and now it was time to go back home.

Somewhere in the forest between Sunagakure and Konoha, red eyes flashed.

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><p><strong>Drop a review and make me smile? (: Thanks<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Disturbance

**What did I say about the frequent updates? ;) Two chapters within 24 hours! **_**Yatta!**_

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 4: Disturbance**

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><p>"Ahh, finally, some <em>shade<em>!" Naruto exclaimed as they crossed the border into the Land of Fire. It was as if the environment completely transformed. There were miles and miles of sand… and then there was a thick forest. _It must have made drawing the border easy, _Sakura thought.

The four shinobi unclasped and removed their cloaks, stuffing them into their packs. Sakura let her rose hair down from its tie, shaking her head a little to tease the locks. The temperature was significantly cooler under the canopy of trees.

"Does everyone have their vials?" Kakashi asked, holding his own little glass tube up. Sakura and Sai held theirs up and their eyes turned to Naruto, who was frantically searching his pockets.

"Uhhh… Ummm… It's in here somewhere!" he opened his weapons pouch and practically stuck his head inside of it.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "It's a good thing we each have a sample. At least one of them should be able to make it back to Tsunade-sama."

Re-pocketing her vial, Sakura said, "Naruto, why don't you look in—"

"I FOUND IT!" Naruto shouted, holding his own glass tube up to the sky triumphantly. Sai smiled while Sakura and Kakashi shook their heads. The team began to walk down the dirt trail that would lead back to the village.

Naruto fell into step beside Sakura. "Ne, Sakura-chan, how do you think Shikamaru, Ino-chan, and Choji are doing? Have you heard from them lately?"

"Yeah, actually Shikamaru-kun and Ino-chan stopped by the hospital during one of my shifts last week. Why?" Sakura glanced sideways at Naruto and saw that he had his hands clasped behind his head in his typical nonchalant fashion.

"Oh, just wondering. Is Shikamaru still smoking?"

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, he is, but it's okay. He knows the limits. It's just his way of remembering Asuma-sensei."

"Asuma-sensei…" Naruto was quiet for a moment. "I've only seen his kid once. Kurenai-sensei sure makes a good mom."

Sakura remembered her days of genjutsu training with Kurenai, and smiled to herself. "Yeah, she's really dedicated. She'd trying to make up for the fact that her child will be without a father."

"But that's okay!" Naruto pointed his thumb at his chest, "We'll help her out! Kurenai-sensei doesn't have to raise the baby alone! We can all be the little baby's older brothers and sisters!"

"That's if you're willing to change diapers, Naruto." Kakashi said, walking beside the blond. Sai fell into step with Sakura.

Naruto made a face. "Neh, that's okay. I'll leave that one to Sakura-chan." Sakura hit him lightly over the head and they all laughed. "Hmm… No, I change my mind. How about this, Kaka-sensei, every time you're late to something, you get put on diaper duty! Looks like the honor is all yours!"

Kakashi looked horrified. "No, not even if it was an S-class mission."

"Aww, come on, Kaka-sensei! You gotta prepare for when you're a dad!" Naruto said. "Wait does that mean you admit to being late to everything?"

Kakashi's silver eyebrow rose and he chose to ignore the last statement. "And what makes you believe I'll be a father?"

"You're already like a dad to _us, _Kaka-sensei," Sakura smiled at the man, who smiled back through his mask.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"Yeah! And everyone can tell that you and Anko-sensei have something going on. I mean, just look! She's reading the same pervy books you do!" Naruto said.

"That doesn't mean anything except that the reading material is appealing. So we happen to like the same books? It's hard not to like _Icha Icha._" Kakashi pointed out calmly.

Naruto turned to Sai. "Sai, what does it mean when two people suddenly start going to lunch together, even dinner, then one of them starts to pick up on the hobbies of the other person?"

"Well, I'd have to say that that means they're interested in each other." Sakura giggled at Sai's answer, trying to picture Kakashi-sensei and Anko-sensei together. Then she pictured a child with a purple version of Kakashi's hair and laughed some more.

"See, Kaka-sensei? Even Sai can tell that you and Anko-sensei like each other!" Naruto turned his attention back to the Copy Ninja, who seemed to be turning a little… pink?

"Naruto, I wouldn't bring this up anymore unless you'd like to talk about you and Hinata-chan."

"Ooooh, _threats_, Kaka-sensei, I didn't know you had it in you!" Naruto joked, throwing his head back and laughing. "But really—" He was cut off by the sound of a kunai slicing through the air between him and Sakura.

"Exploding tag!" Sakura shouted a warning, and the four shinobi jumped out of the way of the explosion. They stood in a circle, backs to one another, as the dust settled. Sakura scanned the area for enemy chakra, but couldn't find any. They must have been masking their chakra, or stopping the flow of it altogether.

"Hey, where the hell are you?" Naruto shouted into the forest. A shuriken sped towards Kakashi, but he threw a kunai and the weapons contacted with a _clink_ and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Suddenly all at once three figures darted towards the Konoha shinobi. A fairly large and muscular man with flaming orange hair engaged Naruto. A woman with glasses and red hair armed with a plethora of weapons targeted Sai.

There was a very loud sound to Sakura's left and she glanced over to see Kakashi fending off a man with a large sword. The Copy Ninja's Sharingan was uncovered, and he was blocking the blade with the back of his gloved hand. Sakura had a sense of déjà vu and realized that she'd seen that sword before. It was the Kubikiribōchō, the giant sword carried by Momochi Zabuza. Confused, Sakura looked at its current wielder and was slightly relieved not to see Zabuza standing there. Instead, there was a man with light hair and purple eyes. His teeth were sharp, like a shark's, and she was suddenly stunned when the man turned himself into water, falling to a puddle at Kakashi's feet. The puddle moved between Kakashi's legs and the man returned to his normal human shape, bringing the sword around to slash Kakashi in the side. The Copy Ninja jumped up, avoiding the attack.

He looked over to her while he was in the air and shouted, "Sakura!"

But she'd already heard the kunai flying straight towards her head. Ducking, she reached her hand up expertly and grabbed the kunai as it flew past the air where her head once was, wrapping her fingers around the wrapped handle. Flipping it around in her hand, she turned the weapon against the cloaked figure that engaged her in battle. The stolen kunai clinked against the enemy's and they struggled.

From the outline of the body underneath the cloak, Sakura could tell this person was a man and not a woman. She decided this was a good thing, since she could apply her taijutsu training in this situation. _Wait for them to strike first. Turn their attack into a counter-attack and catch them by surprise, _Shikamaru's words flitted through her brain.

And so she waited. Their kunai were still pushing against each other, and Sakura was feeling a little impatient. Her brain focused on everything; the placement of his feet and his stance, the movement of his fingers in case he tried ninjutsu. Her eyes focused on the blackness of where his head should've been. The cloak was so large that it hid his face from view, and she was unsuccessful in making eye contact. If this man had any sort of technique that required the use of his eyes, Sakura wouldn't be able to predict it, what with his eyes being hidden from view.

She swallowed, getting nervous. Suddenly the man seemingly teleported to stand behind Sakura, and she heard his arm cut through the air to punch her in the back. Reacting quickly, she ducked and placed her palms on the ground for support as she brought her leg around, aiming a kick to his ankles. He jumped, though, and was coming down on top of her, foot stretched out with a gravity-aided heel to her chest.

To avoid the kick she jumped backwards, away from her team. Instantly she knew this was a bad idea; she shouldn't let the man drive her away from the others. But she couldn't do anything about it, as the attacker was being aggressive. He put his weight into each punch and kick, driving Sakura backwards father into the forest as she dodged the blows.

He landed his first punch. The hit knocked her on her back, skidding on the ground until she came to a complete stop. She sat up gingerly, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, squinting at the man as he walked over to her, cloak rustling in the wind.

She stood up hastily and did the appropriate hand seals for the genjutsu Kurenai-sensi and taught her. Her chakra stream calmed at her will and extended to the man, trying to infiltrate his brain. The rejection was like a physical blow, causing her eyes to snap open and she gasped. He was trained to deflect genjutsu, and was gaining on her in taijutsu. He had yet to show his ninjutsu and whatever else he had up his sleeve, and such techniques definitely existed with this guy. Sakura knew she was in a very tight spot, separated from her teammates and surely overpowered.

But she wasn't going to give up yet. Focusing a substantial amount of her chakra into her fist, she brought her hand up and down into the ground, splitting the earth with the shock. A crack formed between her and the man, who had to jump to avoid falling into the abyss. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sakura grabbed a handful of her poison kunai and waited for the right moment.

_3…2…1..._ she counted in her head, then threw the batch of weapons at the spot where the man would land. Timed perfectly, he would be hit by the kunai once he landed and fall to the ground, his body succumbing to the poison. There was no escape; the kunai were headed on a collision course with his body, and there was no way he could change the direction of his fall from the air. Sakura was going to claim this victory.

From underneath his cloak the man produced a sword, stabbing it into the ground and standing on top of it. The kunai contacted the erect sword and fell limp to the ground, the poison coating their tips useless. Sakura's eyes widened as he hopped off his sword, rather casually, removing it from the dirt. _He landed on his sword, the weapon replacing his body as the target of my kunai…_

And suddenly he was in front of her, grabbing her neck and pushing her up against a tree. He tightened his grip, cutting off her air supply. Ever so slowly, he brought his hooded head to her ear and she heard his faint whisper, so stunned by his words that she stopped trying to escape.

"You've gotten stronger… Sakura."

Her dying lungs screamed at her to take action and her foot made a connection with the man's chest, sending him flying backwards. She fell to the ground breathing harshly after having almost been suffocated, hands clutching at her raw neck.

He stood still from afar, making no move, as if he was _letting_ her catch her breath. When her breathing became tolerable, she choked out, "Show yourself!" How had he known her name? And did he imply that they'd encountered one another before?

The man laughed, a harsh sound, and his hand rose to grasp the edge of the hood. Slowly, dramatically, the fabric fell around his shoulders and his head was exposed.

Sakura's green eyes widened. That black hair… the obsidian eyes…

_Sasuke._

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><p><strong>YES! SASUKE'S MADE HIS DEBUT! Yay!<strong>

**Leave a review! (: **


	5. Chapter 5: Detour

**Gah! I hate cliffhangers! So I'll put you out of your misery with the 5th chapter of _Restoration_! :) **

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 5: Detour**

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><p><em>I will not falter<em>, Sakura thought, her legs propelling her towards the missing-nin. Along the way she snatched fallen kunai from the ground and flung them towards Sasuke at lightning speed.

She made sure to keep her eyes on his, lest he activate his Sharingan and use it against her. His eyes seemed… duller. As if they were losing their light. Could Sasuke be going blind?

His sword clashed with her kunai and she was gaining on him, pushing him back the same way he had done to her earlier.

But there was also something different about him. She could see it in his eyes and the mocking tilt of his lips. He was actually smiling as they fought, albeit nastily. She squinted, trying to make sense of this. In his irises she could see… happiness? Joy? ...Life?

Hastily she pushed these thoughts out of her mind. She had her chance at this very moment, and she didn't need to screw it up with her contemplating, just like last time. _No mistakes._

Her kunai slashed his cheek and drew blood. Sasuke's eyes flashed and she ducked away from his Kusanagi. She didn't realize she'd been hit until a stream of blood erupted from a gash in her leg. With a cry, she aimed a punch at him, which he blocked with her arm. Over and over she pounded him, and he defended, that sick smile still plastered onto his face. It was as if he was enjoying their fight in a different way than most shinobi enjoyed battles. Like he'd been craving such a thing. It was appalling to Sakura, but she scolded herself and kept her cool.

"Sakura," he breathed her name, grabbing the ankle of the leg she was about to kick him with.

_Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him. _Became her mantra. She didn't want to admit how affected she was by him just saying her name. Sakura was ready to falter, but she had to become devoid of emotion or else he would get away… again.

"Sakura," he said more forcibly, his crude smile turning down into a frown. _That's better. He looks more like the vicious, evil Sasuke he is._ It became easier for her to attack, now.

"Sakura!" Sasuke hissed, his eyes turning blood red. Sakura jumped away, on high alert. This was exactly what she had to look out for. With his Sharingan he was _significantly_ stronger than her and had the advantage.

He didn't move, though, and it was making Sakura extremely nervous. His eye blended into a different shape… and she recognized this as the Mangekyo Sharingan. She needed to run, _now._ But she didn't.

"Sakura," said once again, calmer this time. He walked towards her casually, too casually. It put the pinkette on edge. He sheathed his sword as he approached her.

"What do you want," Sakura spat. _He's not the same, don't you dare feel sympathetic. This isn't Sasuke. The Sasuke you used to know is gone. _

"Stop fighting me," he stood before her and she had to look up to see his face. _He's getting taller—shutupshutupSHUTUP don't think about that._

"Why," she sounded a little breathless. _You weakling, he's the enemy stop wanting him to come closer stopstopstopstop!_

"Because I won't fight you," he said, keeping his distance, which Sakura wanted to thank him for. If he came any closer… She might just give in…

Wait, what did he just say? "You won't fight me? Is it because you think I'm weak? Because I'm not _Naruto, _or _Kaka-sensei? _That I can't take you? Well let me tell you, I've been training my _ass_ off! I've—" his glare made her jaw snap shut, but his words made her speechless.

"You're _still_ annoying, I see."

The only sound was of the wind swishing through the trees. Sakura's hair blew into her face but she was too stunned to move. Those words… he'd said them to her twice before. When they'd first met… then when he left. And now. She wanted to cry, to laugh, to punch him for saying that. The silence dragged on.

"I've exacted my revenge. I killed Itachi, I killed Danzo. I'm done, Sakura. It's over. I can go back now." _Can go back now… to Konoha? Home?_

"You're just messing with me," Sakura's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched.

"I mean it," he didn't sound sincere, nor did he sound sarcastic. "Itachi's wish was for me to live in peace with the village, and I'll grant that."

"No. No. Just no." This couldn't be happening. Was he messing with her brain? This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen. The next time she was to meet him, Sakura was sure he'd be a ruthless murderer and she'd be able to kill him without hesitation because he'd be evil. But this… she didn't know how she'd handle _this. _This wasn't supposed to happen; she was ready to kill him, not for him to tell her he was going back to the village, if he even _was_ going to do that.

"You don't believe me," he stated.

"No, I don't. How…" she trailed off, not knowing what so say. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you're the only one who would listen," he said. Silence dragged on and Sakura understood. She was the weakest emotional link out of all of them. The one with the least resolve. Naruto was dead set on bringing him back. Kakashi was dead set on killing him. Only Sakura was torn between the two. Neither of her teammate would give him time to speak, to put his word in and actually be listened to. Only Sakura would open her ears to Sasuke. And she cursed herself for it.

Slowly, she picked up a discarded kunai. "That… doesn't change anything." She would be strong. Sakura knew what she had to do.

* * *

><p>Sakura was gone. That cloaked attacker had pushed her into the woods, away from the rest of them. Kakashi was worried.<p>

The water-man swung the Kubikiribōchō at the Copy Ninja's neck, and he ducked, charging a Raikiri. Blue light gathered around his hand and he jabbed the lightning at the sword wielder. To dodge, the man liquefied, laughing. He reappeared behind Kakashi, taking another swing. Kakashi jumped back and ended up back-to-back with Naruto, who was taking on the orange-haired man.

Over his shoulder, Naruto shouted, "Kaka-sensei! Where's Sakura? I can't sense her chakra! Why is she masking it from us?"

"She's not," Kakashi answered. Sakura wouldn't do something as foolish as hide her chakra from them if she was separated. If anything, they should be able to feel her chakra pulsing, telling them where she was so that they could come back her up. The only other way that her chakra would be hidden was if she was caught in a strong genjutsu and not trying to escape. And if she wasn't trying to escape… It was a pretty damn strong genjutsu. She wouldn't be able to sense that she was caught in one.

Suddenly all three adversaries dropped to the ground. The three Konoha shinobi stood still, staying cautious. What kind of trick was this?

"What's going on?" Sai asked, inching his way towards his comrades. Kakashi bent over the now-motionless woman Sai had been battling, and looked into her eyes with his Sharingan.

"They were under a genjutsu," he examined.

"What? One that was strong enough to make them fight like that?" Naruto exclaimed. Yes, these three were put under an awfully powerful genjutsu, but it seemed that it had worn out.

"It must have been the cloaked one," Sai said. "The one who lured Sakura away."

Kakashi stood back up. "I agree, Sai."

"Kaka-sensei, _where is she_? Her chakra is missing!" Naruto said desperately, his brow creased in frustration and anger.

"She's under a genjutsu right now. We'll have to search in her general direction until the genjutsu is released. It's the only option."

"Hai, Kaka-sensei. Let's go," Naruto darted into the forest where they'd last seen Sakura, Kakashi and Sai on his tail.

* * *

><p>Sakura stood offensively, her kunai at the ready. Sasuke was disturbingly at ease, standing there with a face devoid of any emotion.<p>

She took a step closer to him. Suddenly his figure divided into two, creating two Sasukes standing next to each other. Then those multiplied, and their twins multiplied, until Sakura was standing in the middle of a circle of Sasukes, all with Sharingan eyes.

"Wha—what is this?" Sakura breathed. Then she realized, her eyes going wide. _Genjutsu._

She closed her eyes and centered her chakra into herself, momentarily stopping its flow. With that done, the dreamscape froze. _Now to break it._ She brought her hand to her chest in a seal, and shouted, "Kai!" Her chakra shot away from her body, expelling any kind of influence the genjutsu had on her. The world shattered.

"Very good, Sakura." Sasuke's voice echoed in the corners of her mind.

* * *

><p>"Her chakra's back!" Naruto said urgently.<p>

Kakashi closed his eyes and scanned the area with his own chakra. "There!" He led the boys in the direction of Sakura's fluctuating signature.

A person who could cast four genjutsu at once; ones strong enough to mask chakra… Kakashi hoped it wasn't who he thought it was.

* * *

><p>Sakura opened her eyes to find herself slumped against a tree. She felt groggy and her chakra reserves were weak.<p>

"You broke Tsukuyomi," Sasuke said, a sliver of surprise in his voice. She looked up to see him standing in the exact same spot, with the exact same stance and exact same look on his face.

"Tsukuyomi? Then why… Why am I not suffering severe mental trauma?" she tentatively scanned her head, and found no pain, no pressure.

"I only brought you away for a few minutes. I needed to tell you something, and since you would not listen at first, I had to result in my strongest genjutsu. No part of that genjutsu was meant to harm you, and so you are not suffering from anything. It was my will."

Sakura stood up slowly, using the tree for support. Why did it feel like she'd been in this position before?

"SAKURA!" her name was called from the trees above and she looked up in time to see Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi land in front of her, weapons drawn. "There you are, Sakura-chan. We were getting worried," there was no playfulness in his voice as he spoke over his shoulder, never bringing his eyes away from Sasuke.

"Naruto. I never thought you'd show," Sasuke said, smirking humorlessly. "And you too, Kakashi. Though I'm not surprised you were able to beat Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin. They don't usually put up much of a fight."

"Your genjutsu wore off," Kakashi said, fixing his grip on a kunai.

Sasuke moved his hand in a dismissive way. "Yes, well, it's hard to keep it up when I had to use Tsukuyomi."

Kakashi's visible eye widened and he glanced back at Sakura worry written all over his face. He'd been caught in Itachi's Tsukuyomi once, and the effects were horrible.

"I'm fine, Kaka-sensei," she said. It was true, and her wellbeing made Kakashi confused.

"You spared her," Kakashi said more than asked.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto interjected. Sasuke's Sharingan moved to Naruto's face.

"I'll tell you what I told her. I'm coming back to Konoha." Shock passed through the three Leaf shinobi's hearts. He'd said it twice already, but still Sakura had a hard time believing it. But Naruto, ever trustful, dropped his weapon and stood up straight, making himself quite vulnerable.

"Sasuke… Are you… Really?" Wide blue eyes stared.

"You tell me, dobe." Sasuke held his hands out, signaling that he wasn't going to fight. Stunned, Kakashi made a few hand seals and Sasuke's hands returned to his sides harshly, as if there was an invisible force shoving them there. Then he summoned Pakkun, and the little dog appeared in the cloud of smoke.

"Pakkun, deliver word to Tsunade-sama. We're bringing Uchiha Sasuke back with us."

"Hai," the little pug said, glancing over at Sasuke, whose hands were still oddly attached to his body. "He's grown," the dog said, then ran off to deliver the message to the Hokage.

To his team, Kakashi spoke softly. "I've put an incapacitating jutsu on him. He won't be able to move more than it takes to walk."

Sasuke was theirs to bring home.

* * *

><p><strong>A quick thank-you to XxSilversilkenwingsxX, a loyal reviewer :) You make me want to dance. <strong>

**Leave your feedback for this chapter in a review, please? :) **


	6. Chapter 6: Return

**I think it's time for a song parody! **_**He's coming home, he's coming home/Tell the world that he's coming home/Let the rain, wash away/All the pain in Sa-su-ke….**_**Yeah, I know, I should stick to writing fanfictions :) **

**So, if I may take my own advice, I present… CHAPTER 6!**

* * *

><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 6: Return**

* * *

><p>There was a tree. A tree located just outside the main gate of Konohagakure. This tree, although surrounded by many others, was special to the shinobi of the Leaf Village, for this tree spawned many great ninja.<p>

There was a specific branch of this tree, one that jutted out over the dirt road that led away from the village, that had acquired notches and dents and deformities not naturally caused by weathering.

This history of this tree and its branch is one that was formed from an antic that had evolved into a custom. Every young, aspiring ninja dreamed about this tree, because it would mean that they'd finally become worthy of a mission that involved leaving Konoha. You see, when you're leaving the village for a mission, the most efficient way to travel through the forests of the Land of Fire was tree-hopping. And to get up there, you'd have to start somewhere, right? The specific branch of this specific tree was always the initial step to leaving the village on a mission. All first-timers out of the village took their first step on that branch. It was low enough for young ninja to hop up, yet high enough to make jumping to the next branch simple. The perfect transition step.

But that was only the first half of the custom, for when a team or an individual successfully completed their mission, they'd arrive back at the village by landing on the branch then hopping down to the ground in front of the gate and wait for access back into the village.

This branch saw heroes out of the village, then welcomed them back home.

The custom was not forgotten by Team Kakashi, as they arrived back in Konoha with a very taciturn Sasuke in tow. First Naruto, then Sai, then Sakura, Kakashi, and finally Sasuke landed on the branch then to the ground before the entrance to Konoha.

The immense omfort of seeing the gate was something Sakura had never felt before. It was like she'd been gone so long, and was finally, _finally, _back home. But she'd only been away on this mission for 4 days, so it made no sense that she felt that way. She shouldn't have been feeling the way _Sasuke_ was probably feeling. _He_ was the one who'd been away for _five years._

Or maybe he wasn't even feeling nostalgic. He'd left the village of his own free will, and was able to stay away for this long. He even killed Danzo, head of ANBU Root. She took a sidelong glance at his face, but he wasn't showing any sort of emotion, except maybe annoyance. His hands _were_ incapable of moving, after all. But it wasn't anything that a _missing-nin_ couldn't handle, Sakura thought scornfully, thinking the words with bitterness. _Why, Sasuke, why did you have to leave?_ But it was okay now, because he was back. And he was coming back the same way he left: of his own free will. He hadn't even struggled or tried to run off the whole way back, either.

The gate opened to reveal Tsunade, with Pakkun and Shizune at her sides. She looked fierce, even in the dead of night, while Shizune looked a little… nervous. She'd never met Sasuke before, and after hearing how he'd been able to take out Danzo, she was scared.

"Thank you, Pakkun," Kakashi said quietly, dismissing the summon. Pakkun nodded and disappeared in a miniature cloud of smoke.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you're to follow me to the Hokage Tower immediately. You're lucky it's the middle of the night; I wouldn't want to find out how the villagers would receive you," Tsunade said, turning on her heel. Everyone followed.

That got Sakura thinking. How _would_ everyone feel about Sasuke being back? People didn't know about Danzo's death, mostly because the Root leader had tended to act behind-the-scenes. So what did they have to work their opinions on? Well, for one, there was the Uchiha massacre carried out by none other than Itachi. They would probably feel pity for Sasuke. Most of them believe that the tragedy of losing his whole clan in one night and that discovering his own beloved brother as the traitor had driven him to leave the village.

And if any of them displayed their pity… They were going to be in some big trouble. Sasuke was never one to take pity easily, and Sasuke's tolerance was probably even lower, if how he'd acted the last two times they'd met was any testament. For the second time that night, Sakura was glad they'd arrived at night.

The only sounds in Konoha were the soft tapping of sandals hitting dirt as the shinobi made their way toward Hokage Tower, plus the occasional cricket chirp. Everyone's lights were out by 9:30pm, as per typical village life, and the group relied on all of their other senses to direct themselves to the building.

The Hokage Tower was a mess of corridors, once you passed the main lobby. To any Konoha shinobi, walking these hallways was practically in their job description, and a very important part as well. If you couldn't find your way to Tsunade-sama, you wouldn't be able to receive your mission.

Everyone stopped in front of the door to the Hokage's office. Tsunade turned around, a serious look on her face, and spoke. "Kakashi, Shizune, Sasuke, you three will join me in my office. You've got a lot of explaining to do, Uchiha. I hope I won't have to make use of Ibiki's interrogation techniques, but I've called him here in case you are uncooperative. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, you three are off for the night. You can leave the poison samples with Kakashi, and I'll take a look at them later. But that's not the most important thing right now." She looked at Sasuke as she said this.

The three teens dropped their vials into their leader's outstretched hand. "Go home and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow," Kakashi said, closing his fist around the glass tubes. He sounded worn out and wary at the same time. He followed the two women and Sasuke into the office, then shut the door behind him. It closed with an echoing _click_.

"Well, I'm going to return to my residence. Please have a good night," Sai said, not bothering with one of his smiles. He could tell they weren't in the mood. The pale teen walked away.

Sakura and Naruto stood there, facing the door like lost puppies. They couldn't hear the exchanges that were going on just on the other side of the door. Naruto's voice penetrated the silence, "Do… Do you want to go home?"

In response Sakura nodded, feeling numb. This was a day she'd been dreaming about: the day that Sasuke would return back to the village. It had started out as a dream within reach, then as the years passed became an impossible fantasy. But now… now it was actually happening. It had _already_ happened. He was in the Hokage Tower with Kakashi and Tsunade, within Konoha's walls. And of his own free will. It just didn't make any sense, but Sakura was afraid to make any inquiries. All that was important was that he was back, right? Perhaps she didn't deserve an answer to all her questions. It was a gift enough that Sasuke was home, so she wouldn't push it. But it was still eating at her mind.

Looking to her side she noticed that Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet. The reality of Sasuke being back was probably sinking in for him too. His eyes were wide, like he'd just seen a ghost, and he was actually walking pretty slowly. Reaching out a hand, Sakura intertwined her fingers with his, squeezing his palm gently. He squeezed back, but other than that didn't change his stricken demeanor.

The reached their apartment building and jumped up to the outdoor hallway of the second floor, right in front of Sakura's front door. Extracting her key from her pocket, she opened the door quietly and walked in, switching on the lamp. Sakura went into her room to deposit her mission things, not noticing that Naruto had followed her into her house until she heard the door close and the squeak of her sofa accepting weight. She walked out of the room and stood by the sofa, looking at Naruto, who held his head in his hands. "Naruto?" she asked tentatively. "You okay?"

He lifted his head and flashed her a dazed smile. "Yeah, Sakura-chan. I'm okay."

"Do you want to stay the night?" She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. Naruto didn't seem to be himself he looked a little odd. It made her worry.

"No, no it's okay. My room's right on the other side of that wall, it's not like it'll be a long way home or anything. But…" he paused, fidgeting with his fingers, "Could I maybe have some of that tea you gave me last time? The one for calming down?"

One corner of Sakura's mouth turned up. "Of course. But I thought you hated my tea."

Naruto smiled back, shaking his head a little. "I won't say I love the taste, but it always works for whatever you give it to me for." He followed her into the kitchen, hopping up to sit on the countertop in a place where he wouldn't be in the way and watched her put a pot of water on the stove to boil. He sat quietly as he observed Sakura pulling out various jars of herbs from her cabinet, crushing some in her palm, then carefully bundling it all up in a square of cloth. Sakura always customized her tea my making it herself, adding in various medicinal herbs along with the typical recipe to add to the natural vitality of the drink.

"Here," her soft voice called Naruto back into the room, though he hadn't even realized he'd spaced off. Accepting the tea cup with two hands, he took a sip and sighed. The soothing peppermint worked instantly and he calmed. He downed the cup and Sakura refilled it for him, then they walked back out to the living room. Naruto sat down cradling his tea and Sakura walked into her room to change into her home clothes.

She looked at herself in the mirror once in the privacy of her room. Turning her head from side to side, she noticed that the bags under her eyes were pronounced and turning dark. After they'd had their encounter with Sasuke, Kakashi had pushed them to make the trip back home in the same night, effectively completing the journey back in 20 straight hours when it usually took two days, including an overnight camping in the woods that they'd also skipped. It was for the better; if they were to camp out for the night, no one would be able to sleep anyway, since they'd all need to be alert to keep an eye on Sasuke. He _was_ a missing-nin, after all.

Sakura was glad she wasn't Kakashi at that moment, who had to stay awake all through Sasuke's interrogation, along with Tsunade-shishou, Shizune-san, and Ibiki-san. Sakura's eyes lowered to her hands at the thought of the interrogator. What did Tsunade say again? _"I hope I won't have to make use of Ibiki's interrogation techniques, but I've called him here in case you are uncooperative." _Sasuke… Sakura had heard rumors about the things Ibiki did to the people he interrogated. Sakura didn't even want to think about how he was always able to obtain results.

After throwing on a loose t-shirt and comfortable shorts, she padded back out to the living room to find that Naruto had fallen asleep on her couch, tea cup empty and still in his hand. Her face softened at the familiar sight of his completely relaxed face, and she gingerly pried the small porcelain cup from his fingers, putting it in the sink. She came back to the couch and opened up the blanket that covered the back of the cushions, draping it over Naruto's sleeping form. Then she supported his head as she stuffed a pillow from her bed under his head. Finally, after turning off the lamp, she climbed into her own bed and realized just how exhausted she was.

Sakura recounted the day's events in her head. First they'd left Sunagakure and travelled through the desert. Next they had entered the forests of The Land of Fire and joked about Kakashi's love life. Then they'd been attacked by Sasuke and three strange people he'd put under his genjutsu. (Sakura briefly wondered what had become of them after they'd awakened from the aftermath of the genjutsu wearing off, but her mind moved on.) And finally, they'd brought Sasuke back to Konoha.

_Back to Konoha..._

The pink-haired kunoichi fell asleep to the comforting sound of Naruto's snoring outside her room.

* * *

><p>The smell of ramen was prominent in Sakura's home when she sat up in the morning. The light streaming through her window and a quick glance at the clock confirmed that it was 8 o'clock. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, but a crashing sound from the kitchen broke the yawn halfway and she immediately jumped out of bed, running out to assess the situation.<p>

Standing there in his undershirt and orange pants, Naruto waved with a cheerful smile. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan! Sorry, I just dropped your pot," he bent over to pick it up, "But I made instant ramen for breakfast!"

"Morning. And thanks," Sakura said, accepting the steaming foam cup. Using her chopsticks, she waited for the noodles to cool then dug in.

Of course, Naruto finished his ramen before she did. "So, Sakura-chan, I guess we should head over to Tsunade-baa-chan's office, ne? Do you think the interrogation will be over by then?"

"I'm not sure, but we should get over there as soon as possible," Sakura said.

"Okay, then I'm going to change. I'll be right back," Naruto strolled out of her apartment, giving Sakura some time to finish her ramen and change as well.

The streets of Konoha were bustling, like they always were on a Sunday morning. Looking around at all the activity made Sakura a little dizzy. People were moving around, selling and buying produce at wooden stands, walking in and out of buildings with paper shopping bags packed with essentials, and people living in the apartments above the shops hung their laundry out to dry.

"Hey, Sakura-chan—" Naruto was cut off by the sound of someone else calling her name.

"Sakura-san! Sakura-san! You're back! Sakura-san!" A middle-aged woman in an apron ran up to the two teens, smiling wide and holding a basket. "Sakura-san, welcome home! I hope your mission was a successs. My son has been asking about you ever since you left! Here, we made this gift basket for you. Hopefully some of the items will be of use to you in your career!" The woman handed Sakura the basket. Inside was a small water basin and cloth, as well as a few rolls of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic.

Sakura smiled kindly to the older woman. "Thank you so much, Hiroko-san. How is Akihiro doing? Is his arm healing?"

The woman, Hiroko, beamed. "He's doing very well, thanks to you! If you hadn't set that bone right away, it might not have ever healed," she looked gratefully at the kunoichi. "Oh! I should let you go, you and Uzumaki-san are probably headed somewhere important. Goodbye!" She hurried back into her house, and Naruto looked down at Sakura with a smirk.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, people really love you around here!" he laughed. Sakura play punched his arm. "So I guess none of them really know about Sasuke being here, huh," Naruto continued.

"I guess not," Sakura replied. "Tsunade-sama probably hasn't had any time to make a public announcement."

"I wonder what people would do once they found out," Naruto thought out loud.

They soon arrived at the Hokage Tower and found themselves outside of Tsunade's door. Sakura nervously clenched at the handle of Hiroko's gift basket, wondering what they'd see once they entered. Glancing back at his pinkette teammate, Naruto knocked on the door.

The door opened a fraction and Shizune's head poked out and retreated back into the room just as quickly. "It's Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun."

"Let them in," Tsunade's voice called and Shizune opened the door all the way, allowing the teens entry. The Hokage's office looked the same; there were still documents piled high on her wooden desk, the worn seats in the corners still sat in their rightful places, and the books along the wall were still dusty. Sakura wondered why she expected anything to be different. Maybe it was because having Sasuke back meant that everything else should be changed too, but that was a senseless expectation and she knew it.

"Good morning, Sakura, Naruto," Kakashi said, drawing attention to himself. He was standing with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall. His voice sounded like he was speaking through a dry throat and his visible eye was obviously more droopy than usual. Even his spiky hair was struggling against gravity.

Sakura frowned. "Did you sleep at all last night, Kaka-sensei?"

"No," he shrugged. "I had to be present for all seven hours of Sasuke's interrogation. I haven't slept since we were in Sunagakure."

Sakura's eyebrows came together in concern, but Tsunade had already begun to speak. "I'm sorry Kakashi, but it's protocol. You can go home as soon as we explain to them what's going to happen with Uchiha Sasuke."

"'What's going to happen'…? What do you mean? What's happening with Sasuke?" Naruto asked loudly.

Tsunade sighed like she didn't know where to start. "After Uchiha Sasuke's interrogation, I've decided to put him on temporary house arrest while we decipher the intel we gathered from what he told us and from what we gathered ourselves." Sakura's eyes widened at the end of the Hokage's sentence. _So they _did_ have to use Ibiki's methods._ She was going to protest but Tsunade went on. "He'll be kept in an ANBU-guarded residential building, and _you_, Naruto and Sakura, along with Kakashi, will be monitoring him in shifts throughout the day. You three know him best, and will know faster than anyone when he's about to try something. The ANBU will be around to guard the doors in case someone from outside the village tries to break him out. It'll be your duty to keep Sasuke in that building until we figure out what to do next, and it all depends on what we understand from the information we received during his interrogation. Understand?"

"Hai," Naruto and Sakura said together.

"Good. Then you three are excused," Tsunade dismissed them.

Once outside the building, Kakashi turned to his former students. "We need to figure out our shifts."

"Kaka-sensei, we could figure this out later; you should go get some sleep. You look like you're about to fall over," Sakura said.

"Hey, I have an idea! Since Kaka-sensei is just going to bed _now_ – when it's so early in the morning – he's going to be nocturnal!"

"Naruto, that's not how it works."

"Wait, Sakura. So if he's going to be wide awake at night, why doesn't he take the night shift? I'll take the evening shift, and Sakura, you can have the day shift! See, it works out!" Naruto smiled proudly.

Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes. "Good job on making sense for the first time, baka," she joked. "Sure, that works with me."

"And me," Kakashi added.

Naruto clapped his hands together. "So it's settled!"

"Splendid. I'll be getting some much-needed rest now. See you two later," Kakashi held his hand up in farewell and turned to walk home.

Naruto turned to Sakura. "I'll relieve you at 4:00, okay? Make sure Sasuke's…. okay until then, alright?"

"Of course."

"Thanks," Naruto said with a smile, then he too walked back down the path, probably off to say hello to Konohamaru.

_Time to start my shift, _Sakura thought as she walked down the road that would bring her to the building where Uchiha Sasuke was currently taking up residence. Her hand tightened around the handle of the basket she was still carrying. _Wish me luck. _

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><p><strong>Hmmm, I wonder what's going to happen during Sakura's first guard shift… *<strong>_**Contemplates possibilities*. **_**We'll see in the next chapter! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Duty

**FYI, this is the final chapter of Restoration. I had two more planned, but I think the story will be less complicated and flow better if this is the final chapter. Maybe someday when I'm not working on anything I'll go back to my outline and write the next two, but for now this will be the last of Restoration. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>.:Restoration:.<strong>

**Chapter 7: Duty**

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><p>The small apartment was silent. Sakura could see the early morning light streaming through the window and the little flecks of dust floating around the lightly furnished room. She closed the door softly behind her, and the little click of the doorknob made her flinch. Apprehensiveness radiated from every inch of her body, and Sakura took a few breaths to try to calm herself, but it was in vain.<p>

A small rustling noise came from the other side of the only visible door. Setting her earlier received gift basket down on the ground next to the front door, the pink-haired kunoichi quickly removed her boots and padded over to the bedroom door, grabbing hold of the knob with a few more pacifying breaths.

Once she was decidedly calm enough, Sakura entered the room to a sight she hadn't seen for years, and never thought she would see again.

On the lone bed lied Sasuke, tangled in the sheets with a sheen of sweat covering his forehead. He was obviously asleep, but the stress lines were still etched into his forehead. From what she could see, Sasuke wasn't wearing a shirt, and her eyes trailed over his finely muscled shoulders and upper portion of his chest.

Although in the few instances that they'd met after he'd defected from Konoha Sakura had been able to deduce that Sasuke had grown significantly, she never really had time to appreciate it until this instant, when Sasuke had his guard down. Figuring that he wouldn't pose much of a threat when asleep, Sakura went back out to the main room and grabbed a simple wooden chair and brought it back into the bedroom, firmly placing it in the corner of the room and sitting down.

The last time Sakura could remember seeing Sasuke sleeping in a bed was back in their days as Team 7...

_It was a particularly straightforward mission, just a simple escort assignment. They'd travelled to Sunagakure to lead a fairly wealthy man and his son to Konoha so undertake in some economical deal or another. Whatever the reason was, Tsunade-sama had sent them on this mission and the sooner they could get it done, the sooner they could resume training. _

_ "Escort missions are important for you to gain skills to add to your repertoire of skills as shinobi," Kakashi had said patiently. _

_ "But they're so _boring! _Nothing ever happens and the people we have to guard are so stuck up!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Sakura to hit him over the head and scold him in a motherly fashion for calling their clients 'stuck up'. _

_ "Naruto, if you can't handle a simple escort mission, how can you expect to become Hokage?" Sakura said, hands on her hips. _

_ "Hey! Well it's not like Tsunade-sama ever does escort missions! I don't see why I have to be stuck doing this kind of stuff if it's not going to help me become the Hokage!" _

_ "Naruto, shut up and deal with it," Sasuke said, irritated, silently complaining yet _another _time to all the Kami, whyohwhy did a shinobi of his caliber have to be paired with the orange-jumpsuit-wearing freak? _

_ At the dark-haired boy's statement, Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine. But no more escort missions after this one, Kakashi-sensei! If you sign us up for another... I'll... I'll leave Team 7 and train on my own!" _

_ "Hmph!" Sasuke had rolled his eyes, while Sakura merely sighed. _

_ Surprisingly, the silver-haired jounin laughed. "Naruto, how about this. Whenever we get stuck with another escort mission, I'll take you out to ramen, how about that?" _

_ The blond looked at his sensei from the corner of his eyes, suspicious. "Do you really mean that?" he asked cautiously. _

_ "No. Now hurry up!" Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair and began walking away, towards the Zazekage tower. _

_ The next morning Sakura woke up at the crack of dawn, probably because none of the windows in Sunagakure had shades. She squinted against the unwelcome light, mumbling something under her breath that may or may not have been a string of curses towards the great star that was the sun. _

_ Looking around her, she could see that her team was still asleep, Naruto sprawled out on the ground in the middle of the floor while Sasuke and Kakashi were more uniformly tucked into their bedrolls. After a stretch and yawn, Sakura carefully unzipped her sleeping bag and went to use the bathroom. _

_ The room was unchanged when she came back in, and having nothing to do, she sat down on her bedroll, opening some medical scrolls she was to study. The long words blended into one big mush of letters and she sighed, giving up on reading. Her team _still_ wasn't up yet, but Sakura didn't even consider waking them all up. She was the only morning person among them, and she'd rather be bored than have to face their combined wrath at being woken up so 'early'. Besides, their escort mission wouldn't begin for another three hours. _

_ Sakura's eyes made their way over to Sasuke, like they always did. Her crush on him was as raging as ever, and her green eyes drank in every detail of his flawless face. He was pale, though in a different way than she. His dark hair was practically begging her to run her fingers through it, and she imagined it would be like feathers. With his forehead protector off in sleep, he looked like a peaceful boy, and could easily been mistaken for the son of an aristocrat instead of a shinobi without a family. _

_ Whatever scars he had, he didn't show. _

_ Thinking about it, Sasuke had never told them anything about what he felt, what he liked, or even what made him happy. There were some things that Sakura and Naruto could pick up, for instance, tomatoes were his favorite produce, but that had taken them two years to figure out. There wasn't a lot else that he let on. Sasuke was a secretive person, dealing with his problems himself and not letting anyone else in. It'd troubled Sakura, and sooner or later she figured he would burst. _

_ And even then, she was afraid, _even then_ he would _still _keep pushing people away. _

There was movement from the bed, causing Sakura to snap out of her reminiscing. Sasuke was turning over in the bed, obviously distressed. His arms raised about his head, then came back down to his sides and his head moved side to side. The fine lines of his lips moved but no sound was produced.

Sakura sat quietly, observing her old teammate levelly. She was the person in control here, the person with power, and she willed herself not to lose that position.

Her resolve almost faltered when Sasuke shot up into a sitting position, clutching at his eyes with both hands and panting like he'd just run a marathon, civilian-style.

It took a few seconds for her to realize what he was whispering under his breath. "_I'm sorry, Itachi, I'm sorry."_

She didn't know what to make of this, so she smoothed her face into a passiveness that could be written off as uninterested. "Good morning," she said indifferently.

Sasuke held his position, still trying to catch his breath, seemingly unsurprised by her presence. _But of course he'd known that I was here. He probably already knew in his sleep. He's just _that _good. _Sakura's thoughts admitted wryly.

He brought his hands away from his face to clench in his lap and raised his crimson Sharingan gaze to meet the cool green of her eyes. Suddenly the red faded into gray and Sasuke clutched at his sockets again, hissing in pain. Sakura rose from her seat in the corner, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're a fool," she stated blankly.

"What did you say?" Sasuke growled menacingly, and Sakura surprisingly found herself unafraid and not intimidated by the tone of his voice.

As if not hearing him, Sakura continued, "Don't use your Sharingan. It's obviously causing you pain," she paused, remembering the dullness of his one vibrantly black eyes, "and you're going blind."

He looked at her now, with the aforementioned dull glare. "Don't you dare tell me what to do."

In response, Sakura merely grabbed his head between her hands, placing her palms at his temples. Before he could shove her away from him, her hands glowed green with medical chakra that was infiltrating his skin, focusing in his eyeballs. The soothing feeling was instant, and Sasuke's hands fell limply back into his lap as he basked in the relief that her chakra was providing him. It was like all the pain was lifted off of him at once. Hell, he could even _feel_ the nerves in his eyes reestablishing their contact with each other. She was fixing his eyes for what seemed like no reason.

After about five minutes of this, Sakura drew her hands away, extinguishing the green glow. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes again to look her in the face. "The damage is terrible, but with regular healing sessions, you'll be able to regain your sight," she said expertly.

"Hmph."

Sakura returned to her wooden seat and eyed him, one eyebrow raised. He gazed back at her with a sort of disinterest on his face.

"Why did you let yourself get caught?"

Her sudden question startled him, though he did not show it. "Excuse me?"

"How come you let us take you? Everyone knows you could have _easily_ gotten through us and been on your marry way to do whatever you pleased. But no, you practically held your hands up and let Kakashi-sensei use that incapacitating jutsu on you. Why?" Her voice sounded much too judgmental and suspicious as either of them would have liked.

"Why should I explain myself to you?" Sasuke's upper lip curled.

Anger and resentment and regret boiled somewhere in Sakura's chest. "No. No. No! I am _sick _of hearing that from you!" she stood up, taking steps toward the bed where Sasuke still sat, clenching and unclenching her fingers. He voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. "Every. Single. Day. Every day we were on Team 7 with Naruto and Kaka-sensei, you've been completely _unresponsive! _All we wanted to do was _help, _but no, you couldn't have anyone helping you, the _great Uchiha Sasuke_, now could you? You closed yourself off to us, keeping everyone out until the day that you couldn't take it anymore! And then what? _You left. _You left us. Without telling us why, without letting us help you!"

She was dangerously close to him now; Sasuke didn't need his Sharingan to see the almost murderous intent that was rolling off of her in waves. He swiftly got out of the bed on the other side, using the innocuous piece of humble furniture as a barricade.

He knew he was just fueling the fire, but his pride prevented him from staying silent. "It's not like you would have understood, _Sakura_" he said her name like a taunt.

"_You didn't let us try!_" She shouted, lunging over the bed and aiming a punch at his face, which he grabbed with his hand.

"_You never let us in!" _Her kick was barely blocked.

"_You didn't have to leave!"_ He dodged the jab to his stomach.

_"IT HURT US JUST AS MUCH AS IT HURT YOU!"_ was her final scream, and now she was in tears. They stood about three feet apart, Sakura hiccupping from the hot, angry tears streaming down her cheeks and Sasuke uncharacteristically stunned speechless.

Part of her mind was wondering why she was attacking Sasuke, and the other was busy justifying it. He had never done anything for _them, _when they did _everything _ for _him. _

Sasuke found himself justifying her attacks as well, in the exact same way that she was.

After a silence that was only broken by Sakura trying to stop her sobs, Sasuke crossed the room and stood before her.

"Sakura... I'm sorry."

Situation forgotten, Sakura's green eyes widened and she looked down at the ground. Her distress escalated at this revelation and she began to sob again, although for what she was not sure.

All she knew was that Sasuke was home again. Really, truly home.

Sakura's body craved the most universally basic need: human touch. Without her thinking about it, she flung her arms around his broad chest, embracing him tightly as her tears streamed down his skin. As if he, too, had been craving such a thing, he brought his arms around her waist, his fingers lightly brushing the tips of her hair.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke breathed again, in awe of the fact that the words he were speaking were true.

Sakura clenched her hands against his back, needing to know that he was _here, _with _her, _and not somewhere unreachable. Ever so slowly, her sobs of frustration and sadness transformed into small hiccups of relief.

Her breathing calmed, but she didn't feel ready to let go just yet. If it was a dream, she wanted to hold on for the rest of eternity, but then Sasuke's hand lightly brushed against her back and she realized it was real. This was all real. Sasuke was back, in her arms, tangible, not an idea that could flit away. He was in the same room as her, of his own free will, without any complications or regrets.

Sasuke slowly extricated her arms from around his shoulders, lightly gripping her shoulders at arms length. The smile was bright on her face, overpowering the puffiness of her eyes and making her look radiant. It was foreign to the Uchiha, the thought of making someone happy just by his presence.

Small tears were still streaming down her face when his obsidian eyes locked with hers. With the pad of his thumb Sasuke drew the droplets off her skin and she laughed, embarrassed. Not wanting him to see her like this anymore, Sakura backed away from him and walked out of the room towards the gift basket that she'd received earlier that day. Extracting a couple of tissues, Sakura hurriedly wiped her eyes, hearing particularly loud footsteps just on the other side of the front door.

She barely had enough time to step out of the way as the door swung open, revealing a black-and-orange-clad Naruto. One look at her face and his expression immediately turned to one of concern. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" He bent his knees to be at her eye level, and looked her straight on with those crystal clear blue eyes.

"Hi, Naruto." She smiled up at Naruto, who now looked confused.

"Why are you crying?"

Sasuke chose this moment to walk out into the living room, and he met Naruto's questioning gaze over the top of Sakura's head. He made no move to answer Naruto's question, and instead greeted him with a slight nod. "Dobe."

"Teme."

And Sakura knew her team was restored.

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><p><em>...Because, Naruto, there's nothing <em>wrong. _Everything is_ right_._

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><p><em>THE END.<em>


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